Super Mario 3D World – World 2

I continued my adventure in Super Mario 3D World, this time heading off to World 2. This is the desert world…it seems like World 2 is always the desert world in Mario games, doesn’t it? Anyway, after clearing the first level of this world, I was given the option to enable the Miiverse features of the game, as well as ghost Mii characters. I didn’t look into how the ghost Mii characters work just yet, but the Miiverse features became apparent immediately. On my world map were some Miis belonging to people on my Wii U friend roster, with some posts they made about the game. The first one I saw was this drawing of Mario “pooting” on a Goomba Cat.

sm3dw-pootWorld 2-3: Shadow-Play Alley is an interesting level that makes use of shadows. They may help you find a secret or they may distract you into making a mistake. In some parts of the level, you’ll see both your character and your shadow; in other parts, you can only see the shadows. It’s a fun level.

sm3dw-shadowJust another note about the Miiverse features. After completing a level, various Miiverse posts about that level will scroll across the top of the screen. These aren’t limited to people on your friend roster. Here are some of the posts that scrolled by after I completed World 2-3:

sm3dw-miiverseI then headed off to World 2-2: Puffprod Peaks. (Yes, I played 2-3 before 2-2). This level introduced some new gameplay mechanics that involved using the touch screen on the Wii U GamePad (much like Rayman Legends) or blowing into the microphone near the home button. It was a bit gimmicky, sure, but it worked well (in this level at least). It remains to be seen if later levels go overboard with the gimmicks.

sm3dw-blowThe most interesting level in the desert world is World 2-5: Double Cherry Pass. It introduces the cherry power-up, which makes a duplicate of yourself. So if you’re Cat Mario and you grab a cherry, you’ll now control two Cat Marios. Find another cherry and you’ll have three Marios. I managed to get FIVE Marios in this level, and it’s all sorts of crazy fun. I can’t wait to see how these multiple Marios are used in later stages. But for now, here’s a video of this level:

The desert world comes to a close with World 2-Tank: Bowser’s Bullet Bill Brigade. You have to make your way past an army of tanks armed with Bullet Bills, spikes, and of course some enemies too. It reminded me of the tank and airship levels in World 8 of Super Mario Bros. 3, but in 3D of course. This level wasn’t as challenging as those levels in SMB3, but this is only the second world and the levels are still pretty easy. It’s still quite a fun level to play through, though!

sm3dw-tankNext time, I’ll be off to World 3, which appears to be an ice or crystal world. I’m sure it’s going to be fun!

Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds

As you may have seen in Friday’s post, I recently bought The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds for Nintendo 3DS. This is a description of my first half hour or so with the game.

lbw-titleLink has overslept and has to hurry to the workplace of a blacksmith. Before leaving the house, I noticed that Majora’s Mask is hanging on Link’s wall! What’s that all about?

By looking at the overworld map, I can’t help but notice that it looks almost identical to the world of A Link to the Past. I knew A Link Between Worlds was set in the same world as A Link to the Past, but I wasn’t expecting the world to be practically identical!

Anyway, the blacksmith sends me off on an errand to return a sword to a captain who left it behind. On my way, I ran into a Hyrule soldier who commented about vandals painting on all the walls…that’s pretty funny if you know what Link can do later in the game. I was told to go to the sanctuary, but I did a little exploring first. I stopped to take a look at Kakariko Village, with all its familiar sights. The buildings were all locked or closed of course, but it was definitely a nostalgic visit.

lbw-villageI also walked into the Haunted Grove and the animals scattered, just like they did in A Link to the Past. It’s just a joy to revisit these memorable places from A Link to the Past.

I eventually went ahead to the sanctuary, and I was surprised to see Dampe’ from Ocarina of Time outside. But something bad happened inside the sanctuary, and I was unable to go in. Dampe told me there was a secret passage from the graveyard into the sanctuary. So I had to push some gravestones until I found some stairs, which led me down into the sewers. I had to use a lantern to light the way while avoiding rats. It’s a lot like a scene from A Link to the Past. Once I got to the sanctuary, I saw that the captain and a woman named Seres were turned into paintings by a villain named Yuga. It looked like a woman, but the game referred to Yuga as “him.” After a failed attempt at attacking Yuga, I was knocked unconscious and I woke up back in my house.

I was told I had to get to the castle to warn Princess Zelda. Once I reached her, she told me I needed to find the elder, Sahasrahla, in Kakariko Village. I went to see him, and he told me to go ahead to the Eastern Palace. This series of events closely mirrors those of A Link to the Past. A Link Between Worlds was originally going to be a remake of A Link to the Past before it turned into a sequel, and it really shows. The early going is surprisingly similar to the SNES classic. But that’s not a bad thing, as A Link to the Past was a great game (and my favorite Zelda game).

I’m not very far into A Link Between Worlds yet, but I am enjoying what I’ve seen so far. I’m looking forward to getting into a dungeon next time. However, I’m probably going to be focusing my gaming time on Super Mario 3D World for a while. But I will definitely get back to A Link Between Worlds, so keep checking Jeff’s Gaming Blog for updates on both games.

Buy The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds at Amazon

Buy Super Mario 3D World at Amazon

lbw-sanctuary

Super Mario 3D World – First Impressions

Today was a big day for Nintendo games, with a new Mario game and a new Zelda game released on the same day. These are the games I’ve been waiting for, so I picked them both up today: Super Mario 3D World for Wii U and The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds for 3DS.

mariozeldaMario and Zelda are two of my favorite game series, but I have to say Mario just slightly edges out Zelda. So Super Mario 3D World is the first of the two games I played, and it will be the focus of this blog entry. Right near the beginning of the first level, there is a bell power-up, which turns you into Cat Mario. Of course the first level is a great place to just explore and learn how to be a cat. Cat Mario can use his claws to scratch enemies and climb up walls.  The game has transparent pipes, which you basically fly through. I had fun just going back and forth through some of them. When you hold the run button, you can see a steam trail behind you. Here, you can see me chasing a rabbit.

sm3dw-rabbitThe game feels surprisingly fresh and innovative. That’s something that couldn’t be said of any Mario game of the past few years, not since the first Super Mario Galaxy on Wii. Most levels have three green stars to collect (so far), which you can grab all in one go–you don’t have to keep restarting the level to collect them one at a time like in some previous games.

sm3dw-purpleSome levels are completely different, including this stage where you must play as Toad. Toad can’t jump in these levels, so you have to cross bridges and platforms to reach ramps that let you ascend the tower.

sm3dw-toadThere was also a racing-type level where you ride a dinosaur named Plessie down a river.

Riding Plessie down a river.I’ve only played the first world, but I’m very impressed with the game so far. If the remaining worlds are as good as the first, this could be the best Mario game in a very long time. Other Mario games have had solid gameplay, but this one seems to have that spark of innovation that’s been lacking from Mario games in recent years. I’ll have more updates in the coming weeks, so check back for more. Here is a video of the first level, World 1-1. I’ll be sure to make more videos of this hot game, so subscribe on Youtube if you want to see more.

Buy Super Mario 3D World at Amazon
Buy Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds at Amazon